Unfortunately not a busy week in the yard.
Saturday and Sunday I had numerous events with the fire company, then the first three days of the week, Monday and Tuesday 10.5 hours in class for work, Wed an 8.5 hour day at this training, then back to work at 11P. Now things should get back to a regular routine.
I barely kept up with feeding every one, including the caterpillars. I now have 11 chrysalis, and one that will soon be ready to make his. The other day I'd brought in some fresh greens for them and that night, saw the tiniest lil cat on the outside of the netting! I was like...oh no...another one. Hopefully the first one will emerge by the end of this weekend.
There are four chrysalis on one stick! All along there's been two of the cats that seemed to follow each other everywhere, and so closely they sometimes looked like one big cat. Two of my chrysalis are like that. one right behind the other so I wonder if it's the same two!
We got some much needed rain on Sunday. That certainly perked up the yard and plants. And reminds me of how much I have to do out there. The past three days have been absolutely gorgeous. On every break we got I'd go outside and think how much better my time would be spent if I was home in my yard! Today, I'm home from work and it's chilly, cloudy and they are calling for rain. That's OK because the inside of my home doesn't look much better then the outside.
But I've been planning a bit. During training I did draw out my butterfly/hummingbird garden (you do what you have to go to stay awake during long tedious lectures!) and gave some thought to what I need there.
this was my first year for that garden, so hopefully next year it will fill in a bit. My plans are for buying a few more of the things I already have, to fill it all out. I can't get over how much better my salvia did once the heat wave broke. I've not done well with salvia in other parts of the yard, and wasn't hopeful about this until late in the season. Now it looks great.
With all the black swallowtail activity, I'm going to plant more bronze fennel and maybe one or two more rue. Some things I want to get more, but I know so many things will self seed, and I should wait and see what happens....but waiting is difficult!
I'd been disappointed in the orange milkweed, but...now not so much. Sister and I have noticed that, while in most of the summer, the butterflies seemed to be content with only a few of the plants, come August and later, they really take an interest in EVERYthing we have planted. Same with the hummingbird too. So everything is a keeper.
This Saturday I hope to go to the Appalachian Audubon Society fall plant sale at Meadowood nursery. I didn't get to go with sister to a similar sale last Saturday. The problem I have going to Meadowood nursery is that they have sooo much and it's hard for me to pick out one or two things. I want it all! But with a budget it's not possible so I agonize over everything.
I know I want to buy another fragrant sumac from that nursery. Not a common landscaping plant but good for helping with bank erosion...a fairly tough native plant, and one the birds like. Even though it was newly planted, it survived the flood, even with it's location putting it at the brunt of the fast moving water and debris. I want a 2nd spice bush. Depending on the price I'd like to buy one a little bigger then I bought this year. (yes I'm impatient for growth on that!) I did get one spice bush cat on the little one I just planted earlier this season, but it disappeared within days. In my mind I'm thinking if they had more of the plant, and bigger, they have a better chance? I'm pretty sure I will end up at the nursery for hours, even if I'm only buying a plant or two. The woman out there the day I went out there was so helpful and knowledgeable. She gets very excited talking about plants, and was thrilled to know I was growing paw paw trees. Which is something else I really want to get. And I must get another if I'm ever going to have fruit. The two I have are from the same original tree.
The other thing I've been doing this week when I have had a chance to look over my plants, is collecting seeds. I really want a lot more swamp butterfly weed. It's pretty and smells so nice when it blooms, the monarch butterfly laid all her eggs here on the swamp butterfly weed, nothing else that I could ever find on the other varieties.
I do want to buy a few bulbs. I have one small area to plant them and I want to try something different. I've not done a lot with bulbs, beyond crocus and daffodils. Plus, I've been disappointed in how it looks afterwards because I'm one of those people that read the directions and think it has to be JUST like it says or they won't grow. Now I know better and will plant a MASS of bulbs in one place and see what happens! :)
Little Dude is getting more brave. Twice I've found him at my front door. he's been helping himself regularly to the sunflower seeds in the storage container that the squirrel conveniently chewed through. Just sitting here I heard some wing flapping outside, sounded like ducks so I went to look and it's quiet out there. A few goldfinch on one feeder, and they are all looking around too. Making me wonder what was going on. And yes, I talk to myself, or the birds and I said, what's up guys...and out popped Little Dude from the box! He just stood there, chewing, looking around, while I snuck off to get my camera. But of course he was gone till I got back to the door.
I keep forgetting to look for him first and he catches me by surprise. LOL There other morning I went to the door and he was sitting up right in front of it. Since i wasn't expecting him I made a little noise and he took off in a fright. I worry that one of these days I'll just open the door while he's IN the box and he'll panic and run...right into my house. To me he still looks small and not bulked up enough yet. But he, or one of his neighbors, sure have enjoyed my hostas recently. The ones I cut back to the ground and are emerging - he really seems to prefer the young tender leaves! But you know the way hosta grows, it doesn't hurt them one bit and they grow back so fast.
I really want to get rid of the one row right out in front this fall. I'd like to plant them under the red bud tree. Theses plants were here before I moved in over 10 years ago, and in the middle of summer they get too much sun and look terrible, then I have to cut them all back.
Everything, though, comes down to time. A precious commodity when I work so much. I'd been worried about having so little energy the past 6 weeks or so, but that may have been heat related, and the after effects of how much works was obvious after the flooding here.
I talked to my fire chief about a work detail here, maybe in October. If I can get a few young, strong people here, we may be able to accomplish moving some rock around the stream, shoring up the edges, and opening up some of the channels to get the water to flow better and more efficiently, without constantly eating my bank and yard. It will cost me pizza and beer. Not a bad deal if we can get this done!
Ok lots to do today and I want to get caught up on some of my favorite blogs!
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